A Delicate Flower
by Diamond Kindflower
Summary: Based on the Full House episode, Silence is Not Golden. Sofia gets paired with Charlie, the bully of her Buttercup troop, for the upcoming camping trip. After spending some time together, she makes a discovery that shocks her into silence. Will she break her silence and save her fellow Buttercup? Or will she keep silent and put Charlie's life in danger?
1. Chapter 1

On a warm summer day, The Buttercups were gathered in Peppertree forests. The sun produced a radiant glow without a cloud in the sky and birds voiced their sweet serenades. "I can't believe we're going on a campout!" Sofia said delightfully. "I know, and it's only our second one!" Jade noted excitedly. "Oh I hope my mom puts us together!" Ruby said hopefully "Handclap! Handclap!" So the girls gathered in a circle and chanted "Like three birdies in a nest, three friends are the very best. Like three berries on a vine, three friends always make it fine. One! Two! Three! Is how we're meant to be!" "Aw, how cute! The princess and her baby friends are playing patty-cake" someone insulted. "Watch it Charlie!" Jade retorted "When Sofia becomes queen she could have you locked in the dungeon." "Jade's right; in fact, why wait? I could just get my dad to lock you up." "Oh, so you're pulling the 'my daddy is super important' card, real mature." Before anyone could respond, a whistle blow sounded.

"Buttercups Buttercups, your attention please." Mrs. Hanshaw signaled. "Buttercups Buttercups we're here to appease." The girls replied. "As you all know, we are all going on a camping trip on Friday. I will now assign you your tent mates." The three friends kept their fingers crossed as they awaited the announcement. "The first partners are Jade and Meg" "I wanted to be partners with Peg" Meg mentioned sadly "And I wanted to be partners with Meg" Peg stated. "I know you to are very close, but I want you to know how to work with others and be a little more independent." "Yes Mrs. Hanshaw" the twins replied in unison. "Next, we have Ruby and Peg. And finally, Sofia and Charlie." Sofia and Charlie glared at each-other. "This camping trip will teach you to the values of teamwork. To prepare yourselves in advance, try spending a little more time together. That way, you can really get to know your partner. And the most important thing to remember is to be prepared." "So, Charlie, do you want to come to my castle?" Sofia asked. "Yeah, sure" Charlie replied briefly. "I've got Flying Derby practice at two o'clock. Does three fifteen sound like a good time?" "Yeah, sure, whatever."

Later, Sofia was riding home in the royal coach. "So, Sofia, how was your Buttercup meeting?" King Roland asked. "It was alright" Sofia answered "We're going to be going on a camping trip on Friday, but Charlie was chosen to be my tent partner and I don't like her." "Why not?" "She's mean and grouchy. Mrs. Hanshaw wants us to spend more time with each-other, but how am I going to survive an entire night with her?" "Well, Sofia, some people aren't so bad once you get to know them. Try having an open mind about Charlie." "You think that'll work?" "I know it will."

Well, Charlie arrived soon after Sofia got back from her flying derby practice. "So, what should we do?" Sofia asked. "I think we should focus on pitching the tent." "Great idea. Baileywick used to be a Groundhog scout so maybe he can help us."

The girls went outside once they had gathered all of their tent-pitching materials. "Ok, so the first thing to take into consideration is the location" Charlie stated "You want to make sure that it isn't under any dead trees and that it's on flat ground. Once you pitch the tent, you want to make sure that it has a strong backbone. That way, the tent will stand strong and-" She suddenly looked over at Sofia. "What?" Sofia questioned. "You'd better change back into your dress before your mom finds out." "Oh don't worry, she already knows about it." "Oh" Charlie paused for a moment "Well, when you have to face your mom try thinking of something funny like a puppet show or Alice in Wonderland. That always helps me when I'm getting creamed." "Creamed? You mean hit? My mom doesn't hit me, does yours?" "…So, the backbone helps support the tent and-" "Come on, Charlie, tell me. I promise I won't tell anybody." ""No! I'm not telling you! Not even if you swear on your father's life!" "…My father isn't alive." "Wow, you are such a bad liar. Your dad is the king, I saw him pick you up this afternoon." "He's my stepfather. My real father died a year ago from a heart condition." "Oh, I'm sorry. My father isn't alive either." "I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about him?" "He was the best dad anyone could ever have! He used to take me camping every summer. He taught me all sorts of neat things, like how to fish and pitch a tent. We laughed and cried and did nearly everything together!" "Wow." "Exactly! I lost him a year ago. We were canoeing and a bad storm rolled in. Dad tried his best to keep the boat steady, but we were headed for some big rocks. It crashed but we managed to grab on to one of the boards. Suddenly, the water started going up to my waist. Dad let go of the other end of the board and he…was carried off by the current and I never saw him again." "Oh, you poor thing. This must be really hard for you." "It is sometimes. I guess it's really hard on mom too." "And that's why she hits you?" "Well, not all the time. Some days are better than others. Hey, what time is it?" "Well, judging by the position of the sun, I'd say it's about five o' five." "Oh no! I stayed out too late! I have to go! Listen, Sofia, promise me you won't tell anyone about my mom! If anyone finds out, I could be in big trouble!" "I promise!" Sofia blurted out. Sofia's eyes followed Charlie as she ran. The princess placed her hand over her heart as her mind raced with several thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

Once Charlie returned home, the only sounds she heard were the barks of the stray dogs. She looked through a window into the house. The room was dark and everything was still. She scanned the premise for her mother. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she opened the shed. She gathered some bones and meat scraps from her stash. "Paw-Paw! Bulls-Eye! Daisy! Rudy! Minnie! Lady! It's chow-time!" she called. The pack of dogs raced towards the girls, yipping happily. Charlie placed some the food on the ground and kept some in her hand. While the other dogs devoured the scraps on the ground, some of them approached Charlie directly and ate the food directly from her hand. The dog she named Rudy sprang up and gave her a big, sloppy lick on her face.

Suddenly, to her horror, Charlie picked up the sound of feet shuffling on the dirt path. Before she knew it, a tall woman with dark brown hair in a tangled mess stood before her. "Get away from my house you filthy beasts!" she roared. She began hurling stones at the dogs and attempted to bash them with her broom. Luckily, they all ran off before any of them got hurt. The woman turned her attention to Charlie. "What have I told you?!" she yelled. "Not to feed the dogs" Charlie replied. "That's right. Yet you dare to disobey me and keep food stashed in the shed to feed those mutts! And on top of that you're home late!" She rolled up her sleeves before declaring "I'm going to teach you to obey me and to be a loving daughter!"


	3. Chapter 3

The next afternoon, Sofia was back in Peppertree forest with her Buttercup troop. "Alright Buttercups, I'm sure you're all very excited about our camping trip. However, this trip will be different than your last one. This time, you'll be working together without my guidance. I will be nearby to watch you, but every move you make will be up to you. The next three days will prepare you and teach you all that you need to know. Today your goal will be to pitch the tent. The camping and survival chapter in your Buttercup handbooks covers everything you need to know. Remember, this is all about teamwork so work together." "Yes, Mrs. Hanshaw" the girls replied. "Buttercups bloom!" "Mrs. Hanshaw" Sofia said "Charlie's not here." "Oh, Sofia, I almost forgot. Charlie's going to be out for a while. Her mother said that she fell out of a tree. I'll put you with Jade and Meg." Sofia slowly made her way over to her new tent-mates.

"Alright, so where should we put the tent?" Jade asked. "How about over there by the blackberry bushes?" Meg pointed out. "Great idea! If we get hungry we have some food nearby." "I don't think that's a good idea. There are a lot of dead branches on those trees. They could fall and hurt us." "Hmm, I hadn't thought of that. I guess we should look for a better place to put the tent." "Where did you learn that, Sofia?" The only words the little princess could get out were "The Buttercup Handbook." "Sofia, is something wrong?" "No, Jade." "Ok, but you know that you can talk to me if anything's bothering you. I am your friend after all." "It's a secret."

Later that afternoon, Sofia and her friend, Vivian, were in Cedric's workshop for their daily sorcery lessons. The two of them started their session with a few small spells. "Wonderful, ladies" Cedric remarked "Now that we've warmed up, I say you're ready to start learning something else." He ventured toward his bookcase and came back with a thick, brown book. "Cedric, this means…" "Yes, Sofia, you and Vivian are ready to advance to the study of potion making. A world of potions lies ahead. Some potions can color your hair or increase your intelligence. Others can heal the sick or even give children to the childless. But be warned children, some potions can sicken others or even destroy and entire kingdom! You must use your potion making skills for good and never evil." "You have my word, " "You have mine, too" Vivian chimed in. "Alright, now that I have your word let's begin. Today, I will allow you to make any potion from the first chapter of the book. Before you get started, you will need to put on your safety goggles and gloves. And I highly advise you to read up on your potion ingredients. Then, you're ready to begin."

Once the girls were suited up, they began their search for a beginner's spell. "Hey, this one looks interesting. 'Grow a daisy in a beaker with just a few simple ingredients', I'll try this one. Which one did you pick, Sofia?" "The levitation potion." With that, they began concocting their potion. Sofia reached for the next ingredient when, suddenly, Vivian cried out "Sofia no! Swamp water reacts violently with pixie dust!" "Princess Sofia! Did you not read the instructions?! You could have destroyed that beaker and those things aren't cheap! Worse yet, you could have been hurt!" Cedric took a deep breath and then turned to Vivian. "Princess Vivian, would you go and fetch me some more ingredients from the royal garden, please? I need to speak with Sofia for a little while." "Oh please, Cedric, don't punish Sofia! She really did read the instructions, I saw her. Besides, it was only an accident. She didn't mean to mix the swamp water with the pixie dust!" "Oh stop worrying, she isn't in trouble. Now run along now."

Once Vivian was gone, Cedric turned toward his young friend. "Sofia, you're usually so attentive. Whatever is wrong?" Sofia's eyes glared at the floor and she turned away from him, resting her head on her hand. "If you don't tell me then I can't help you and helping is what friends do, right?" "Ok, I'll tell you. You see, there's this girl in my Buttercup troop and her name is Charlie. Her mother hits her really badly and now she's probably in the hospital. She made me promise not to tell anyone and I never break a promise." "I see" "Please don't tell anyone, ! If this gets out, I don't know what might happen next!" "I promise you I won't tell anyone, but I think you should." "No, I can't."

Later that day, the royal family sat down for dinner. Sofia's fork pushed the food around her plate yet none of it reached her mouth. "So, Sofia, how was your Buttercup meeting today?" Miranda asked. "Fine" was the only word that came out. "Is everything alright, darling? You've barely touched your food" "Yes" "Enough about Sofia, I have some news. Madame Adelise is looking for girls to model her newest makeup products and she chose me to be one of them." "Why would you need makeup? You're already beautiful and besides, you're already helping Madame Colette." "Oh, Madame Colette said that she's more than caught up thanks to me. Also, Madame Adelise will pay her models and I could give that money to a needy family. And besides, sometimes a little makeup is necessary to make beauty more apparent." "I know you're very excited about this, Amber, but you're just not old enough to wear makeup." "Well when will I be allowed to wear makeup?" "When you turn thirteen." "What?! But that's five years from now!" "Trust me, Amber; those years will fly right by."

Sofia lied awake in her bed that night with her gaze fixed toward the ceiling as her thoughts fought against each-other.


	4. Chapter 4

Amber was sound asleep in her bed as sweet dreams danced in her mind. Suddenly, a tapping noise resounded in her room. She stayed in her bed and put a pillow over her head. Eventually, she got out of bed and grabbed a flashlight to investigate the source of the tapping. She approached the window and opened it. After shining her flashlight, she saw her friend, Hildegard, was standing right below her window. "Hildegard? What are you doing here?" Amber questioned. "I'm going to sneak you out." "And how are you going to do that?" "Get dressed and I'll show you." Once the blonde princess was dressed; Hildegard took out her wand, flicked it, and said the words "Flitticus Floatticus!"Immediately, a dazzling field of magic surrounded Amber and gently lifted her off the ground. Hildegard swayed her wand around, gently guiding her friends towards her. Finally, Amber landed gently on the ground outside of her room. The two girls ran off toward the marketplace.

Once they arrived, they were met with ten other girls all standing beside each-other. Finally, a young woman with fair skin and golden brown hair up in a bun arrived. "Bonjour, girls" she greeted with a gentle voice. "I am Madame Adelise and I want to thank you all for waking up early to be here, I really appreciate it. So, without any delay, let us begin." One by one, the girls got all gussied up in Madame Adelise's signature looks. "Oh, Hildegard! You look simply divine with that rose red lipstick!" Amber stated admiringly. "Why thank you, Amber. I must say, that sapphire blue eye shadow really accentuates your eyes."

Finally; after what felt like hours of gossiping, fawning over makeup, and waiting, Amber and Hildegard's numbers were finally called. "Ah, Princess Amber, what a joy it is to have you here today" the painter delighted. "Now, please be a dear and sit up on that chair." Amber did just that and then the painter said "Very good. Now, all I need you to do is look over and smile." So the young princess turned her head slightly over to the left and smiled elegantly. "Wonderful! Now keep very still." For several minutes, Amber sat there striking different poses as the artist painted her pictures, paying attention to even the smallest details.

Finally, all of the girls had taken their turns and they received small bags of gold coins and free makeup samples. "Au revior, girls." "Oh, Hildy, isn't this exciting?! Think of all of the people who will see our faces on those posters!" "I know! Maybe Madame Adelise will ask us to be her regular models. Can't you imagine, Amber? Getting to wear makeup all of the time and traveling to kingdoms far and wide?" "Oh! We've been gone longer than expected. I just hope nobody noticed my absence." Amber raced back to her castle.

Almost immediately after she arrived, Queen Miranda met her at the door and greeted her with open arms. "Oh Amber! Thank goodness you're safe! I had the guards looking for you everywhere!" She wrapped her arms around the young princess and held her close. "Why, Mother, I'm sure you missed me but isn't this a bit excessive?" "Perhaps you're right, Amber, it's just-Wait a minute. Are those make-up items you're carrying? You snuck out to model for Madame Adelise right after I told you not to!" Amber stood there in shock. Immediately after she said this, Miranda took a deep breath and came down to Amber's level. "Amber, you know that I only want what's best for you. I don't feel ready to let you wear make-up yet because I don't want you to grow up too fast and it can be bad for your skin if you don't clean it off properly. But most of all, I don't want you to have low self-esteem." "I'm sorry, Mother. Well, I must be off now." "Hold on, Amber, we're not done quite yet. I want you to remember what I've told you so that you won't pull a stunt like this again. That means no dessert for a week, you'll have to write me a letter explaining what you did wrong and how you can do better in the future, and you'll have to go to bed early tonight." "But-but-Fine." With that, Amber stormed off to her room.


	5. Chapter 5

Sofia wandered the hallway that led away from her bedroom. She stared at the floor and slowly dragged her feet behind her. Suddenly, she heard her sister's angry voice approaching. "I can't believe it! I want to look sophisticated and try a new look and Mother decides to repress me! This is so unfair! She really is like all of the other wicked step-mothers!" Sofia opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. "Come on, Sofia, you know I'm right" still no response. "Ok, look, I know that Mother was your mother before she was mine, but you don't have to give me the silent treatment" still, Sofia didn't say a word. "Ok, fine! Now that I think about it, what I said does sound pretty ridiculous. I'm sorry, Sofia" again, no response. "Do you want me to get you some Gooseberry pie? I'll do anything to make up." not even the mention of Gooseberry pie got as much as a peep out of Sofia. In a moment of panic, Amber cried out "Daddy! Daddy!" Immediately, King Roland came running in. "Amber, what's the matter?" "Well, let me start at the beginning. Mother punished me, which I think is highly unfair, and so-" "Now, Amber, your mother is a very just woman so she wouldn't punish you if she didn't have a good reason to." "Yes, I understand that now. Anyway, I of course came storming down the hallway complaining but Sofia never said a word to me. Even when I offered to get her some Gooseberry pie she didn't say a word. Normally she'd tell me something like you just told me." King Roland paused for a moment and then said "Amber, why don't you take Lyra for a ride. I need to speak to Sofia alone for a little while." "Good idea."

Once Roland was sure his eldest daughter was out of earshot, he turned to his younger daughter and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Sofia, is there something you want to tell me? You know you can always talk to me or your mother if something's bothering you. I promise you I won't be angry." Still, no amount of coaxing or reassuring would allow the princess to release her voice. Suddenly, King Roland's eyes lit up with realization and he turned to Sofia once again and suggested "Sofia, you're a wonderful artist. Perhaps you could draw me a picture of what's on your mind." Sofia went to her room to gather her crayons and paper and the made her way back to the hall. Her crayons scribbled away on the paper, leaving their marks behind. Finally, she handed the paper over to her father. The king's eyes beheld a young girl, about Sofia's age, with hair dark as night. He witnessed the fear in her hazel eyes and bruises on her light olive skin. The letters C-H-A-R-L-I-E were written underneath. Next to her was a gargantuan, hideous monster with snakes for hair. The monster had its fists drawn as if it were about to strike the young girl. The words "Her Mom" were written underneath the monster. "Sofia, I'm so glad you brought this to my attention! I must send the knights over right away!" Sofia's amulet illuminated and she cried "What?! Why?!" "Because they need to get there before I get down there myself!" "No! Please don't do that! Charlie's going to be mad at me." King Roland came down to her level and took her gently by the hands. "Sofia, you know that Charlie and her mother need help and this is the best way to help both of them." "How do you know Charlie will be alright?" "I don't know how she'll turn out. But we just have to have hope and trust." "Hope and trust what?" "We have to trust that the knights will protect her and hope that the Lord will take care of her and her mother no matter what happens." "Ok, but I don't feel much better about this." "I understand, Sofia. Even I feel a little sad and afraid, so let's try being brave together." So they approached each-other and wrapped their arms around each-other in a loving bond.

That evening, just as the family was sitting down to supper, Sofia walked over to her mother and gave her a big hug. "I love you, Mom" she said "And I love you, too." After supper was eaten, Amber stood up and said "Before everyone else has dessert, there's something I'd like to say. It has come to my attention that Sofia will be going on her second overnight campout tomorrow. I have also heard that this one is going to be a test of survival skills and that means a day full of challenges and lacking in the usual comforts. As such, I have made a special request for tonight's dessert as a way of saying 'best of luck to you, Sofia.'" With that, a cart rolled in with a mouth-watering gooseberry pie sitting on top of it. "Oh thank you, Amber. That was so nice of you!" "You're welcome, Sofia."


	6. Chapter 6

Today was Friday, the day of The Buttercups' overnight camp-out. The day was filled with many challenges from pitching the tent, to fishing and gathering, to finding water. Once the challenges were completed, everyone gathered around the campfire. "You've been working really hard, Buttercups" Mrs. Hanshaw mentioned "I say you have all earned a special treat!" She pulled out a bag of marshmallows, a stack of chocolate bars, and a box of graham crackers from her backpack. "It's s'more time!" The girls sat there roasting their marshmallows to their liking. Once they turned a lovely golden-brown, they stacked them on top of the squares of chocolate and squished it all together between their graham crackers. Smiles appeared on their faces as they took in the sweet, sticky goodness. "I think it's time for some ghost stories!" Jade proclaimed. "Yeah, I've got a really good one!" Ruby suggested. "It was a dark and stormy night, when-" "No, please don't!" Peg pleaded "I don't like scary stories" "Me neither!" Meg claimed. "Let's skip the scary stories tonight; you'll need to be well-rested for tomorrow's challenge." "Alright, Mom. Hey, maybe we could sing some campfire songs instead!" So the girls partook in some sing-song from _Kumbaya_ , to _My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean_ , to _On Top of Spaghetti_ it was a musical phenomenon! Finally, it was time for bed and the girls snuggled up in their sleeping bags.

In the middle of the night, Sofia tossed and turned. She squirmed out of her sleeping bag and tiptoed out of the tent. Once outside, she took a stroll over to the river. "You can't sleep either, Sofia?" she heard someone ask her. She turned around, and there was Meg leaning against a big Peppertree. "Yes" Sofia answered. "This is my first time doing anything without Peg. We've done everything together. We've always been in the same class every year, we've been in the same Buttercup troop, and we even share the same room incase either of us has a bad dream." "I know how you feel." "You do?" "Yes, I do. Before I tell you, you have to promise that won't tell anyone." "I promise" "Ok, so I'm sure you remember Charlie. Well, her mother hits her really badly! My dad sent the knights over to her house and I don't know what's going to happen to her. He told me to have hope that the Lord will take care of her no matter what. So let's try being brave together." "Ok, but let's stay here and listen to the river for a while before we head back." So the girls sat close to each-other by the river, taking in the sound of the gentle flow.


	7. Chapter 7

A few weeks later, Sofia met up with Carol of the Arrow and her Merry Band for a day of good deeds. "Good day, everyone" Carol greeted "I'd like to introduce all of you to the newest member of our band." After she said this, a girl wearing brown pants and a green shirt stepped out. "Charlie?!" Sofia questioned surprisingly. "I see you two have already met, Sofia. Charlie will be staying with us for a while. She's come from a rough home like some of you so please don't ask her about it unless she wants to talk about it."

Sofia approached the girl slowly and said "Please don't be mad, Charlie. I'm sorry I told your secret." "I'm not mad, Sofia. You did the right thing." "I-I did?" "You did. I honestly thought that I didn't have long to live when I was in the hospital. Thanks to you, I don't have to worry about getting hit anymore. You're my hero, Sofia." "I wouldn't say that." "Well, even if you don't think you're a hero you'll always be seen as one in my eyes." "Alright, Merry Band, let's move out!" With that, they went on their merry way to help the citizens of Enchancia.

The End.

A/N

I would like to thank everyone who has read and favorite this story and my other stories. The reason why I had the mother be the abuser in this story is not only because I wanted to be different than the _Full House_ episode, but I wanted to be different in general. I wanted to show that not all men are bad fathers. All of your reviews and favorites are what encourage me to keep writing more and better stories. I hope that you all will continue writing your stories and expressing your creative talents.


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